


Buyer's Remorse - Satan/Grace - Sequel to Unworthy of Love

by EP1



Series: Grace and the Seven Deadly Sins [5]
Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, F/M, Fights, Kissing, M/M, Multi, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Spoilers, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:54:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23406346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EP1/pseuds/EP1
Summary: Satan had made the idea of making a pact sound like the perfect solution to her problems. Grace should have known better. She definitely got more than she bargained for.Continuation of Unworthy of Love and follows after the Cynical Fourth Born ending.Tags will be updated as I go and rating may change as story progresses.Writing is a form of stress relief and self care. I will bounce between the different character timelines writing what I can and am able to at the time. No set update schedule.
Series: Grace and the Seven Deadly Sins [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1683712
Comments: 59
Kudos: 99





	1. Bedtime Battle

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I know. I still have to finish Levi, Mammon and Lucifer. But I had a rough day and needed something a little light. Then it turned out this chapter needed a fight scene. Be kind to my inadequate fight choreography.

Mammon had been surprised when Satan had called him but hadn’t asked questions. He knew all he needed to know. Grace needed him. That was enough.

  
When he got the academy, he found Grace passed out with her back against a row of lockers. Satan was sitting next to her, and she had her head resting on his shoulder. His brother had a slightly smug look on his face, well more smug than normal. “Took you long enough,” Satan said in greeting.

  
“You said she was okay. That’s your definition of okay?!” Mammon shouted.

  
“It’s okay compared to how I found her,” Satan answered. “Look, she wanted you to take her home. How long are you going to leave her sitting on the cold floor?”

  
Mammon grumbled and move to pick her up.

  
“Ribs on the left side are bruised maybe cracked,” Satan cautioned. “And she’s got a pretty deep puncture on her lower right back.”  
Mammon nodded and did his best to position Grace as comfortably as possible in his arms. He knew that she worried about her weight, but she wasn’t as heavy as she thought. Mammon had no problems carrying her. “What didja think you were doing, human? Calling me all the way out here, when ya coulda used this moron here as your pack mule.” He grumbled fondly. “Pain in the ass, that’s what you are.”

  
“Let’s get her home,” Satan said impatiently.

  
The two brothers walked home in silence and it was in that quiet Mammon started to question the events. He held his tongue, however. Grace looked so worn and frail, he didn’t want to disturb her.

  
When they reached home, Satan opened the door for Mammon. Asmo was sitting on the stairs waiting for them, a look of worry on his face. He opened his mouth to ask a question but one glare from Satan made him hold his tongue. It didn’t, however, stop him from descending the stairs, to see her.

  
“Hey Princess,” he said softly. He brushed the hair from her face and gently kissed her forehead.

  
Mammon stepped back, moving Grace out of Asmo’s reach. “Can’t you see she’d in no condition for your foolin’ around?”

  
“Let’s just get her to bed,” Satan said sourly.

  
Mammon started up the stairs, and the other two followed. “Look, this ain’t gonna be no slumber party. You two, bugger off.”

  
“I’m just tagging along to make sure you don’t drop her,” Satan said.

  
“And I’m just tagging along to make sure she doesn’t get too cold tonight,” Asmo added.

  
Both Mammon and Satan turned to him and said simultaneously, “No.”

  
Asmo smiled playfully and gave a dramatic sigh. “You are so mean to the dear girl. She looks positively chilled to the bone.”

  
“So I’ll put an extra blanket on the bed,” Satan countered.

  
“No blanket would be as soft as my skin…”

  
“It will be if I skin you to make it.” Satan threatened.

  
“Will both of ya just shut up?” Mammon snapped, stopping in front of Grace’s door. “You wake her and I’ll kick both your asses.”  
Asmo opened it for Mammon, and despite his teasing, stayed out in the hall. However, Satan followed him in. “Seriously, Satan, I don’t need your help,” Mammon said.

  
Satan ignored him and opened the blankets so that Mammon could put her directly on the sheets. “Careful laying her down.”

  
“Why don’t ya just do it yourself? Oh right, she asked for ME.” Handling her as if she was as fragile as glass, Mammon shifted her from his arms to the bed. He covered her with the blankets, then smoothed her hair. He could feel Satan’s eyes boring a hole in his back. “You can go.”

  
“Actually, I can’t,” Satan replied.

  
“Whadda mean, you can’t?” Mammon demanded, turning his head to his brother.

  
“I have to watch you tuck her in,” Satan admitted with a frown.

  
“You what?!”

  
“You know.” Satan started to mime how to tuck the blankets.

  
“I know what tucking means!” Mammon hissed in a whisper. “What did you mean by have to?” The puzzle piece fell into place. “You didn’t!”

  
Satan smiled. “I did.”

  
Mammon wanted to smack that smile off his face. He also considered, not tucking Grace in because that probably meant Satan would have to stand there all night waiting. But, those things wouldn’t be fair to her. So, he tucked the blankets carefully around her and whispered good night in her ear.

  
“Outside. Now!” Mammon said to Satan in a quiet but dangerous voice. Satan left the room first and Mammon followed. Mammon gently shut the door to the room. Then he turned to Satan and punched him in the face. “What didja do to my human?!!”

  
Asmo who was waiting in the hall sprang into action and grabbed Mammon’s before he could follow up with a second hit. “Wait, what’s going on?”

  
“I tracked her down. I took care of her wounds.” Satan wiping his nose with the back of his hand. His nose was bleeding. “Neither of which I would have had to do if you two morons hadn’t been so useless.”

  
Asmo let go of Mammon’s arm. “I changed my mind. Hit him again.”

  
Mammon would have gladly, but Satan wasn’t going to stand still to let it happen. He ducked the next punch and tried to sweep Mammon’s feet out from under him. Mammon jumped and Satan’s kick passed harmlessly under him.

  
“What didja do after that? Specifically after making a pact with her?” Mammon demanded, charging at Satan driving him down the hall toward the stairs.

  
“What?” Asmo questioned, following them and trying to get in their way. “You made a pact with Grace?”

  
“Yes,” Satan admitted, kicking an end table down the hall toward Mammon. He knocked it aside and it crashed into the wall splintering. Mammon picked up two of the sharper pieces to use as weapons. “And her soul is just as sweet as you can imagine.”

  
“She gave you her trust!” Mammon stated. “Tell me what you did after to lose it!”

  
Satan leapt over the balcony, transforming into his demon form mid-air and landed in the foyer. “Who says I lost it?”

  
“Cause she asked for me!” Mammon wasn’t going to fight down on Satan’s level. He transformed into his demon form and used his wings to stay above him in the air. “Cause she made you-“ He threw one of his weapons like a spear down at Satan. “Watch me tuck her in.” He threw the other. Satan dodged the first, and only narrowly deflected the second at the last minute with his tail. “Sounds like she was punishing you. What was she punishing you for?!”

  
“I, too, would like to hear the answer to that question.” No one had seen Lucifer open the front door and enter. Not Asmo, not Mammon, and certainly not Satan. He looked tired, but probably not too tired to overlook two of his siblings fighting in their demonic visages in the front hall. “Kitchen. Now.” Lucifer ordered. “Asmo, gather Levi and Beel. I gather this is a topic that involves the entire household.”

  
Given the look in his eyes, Lucifer was given immediate obedience.


	2. The Problem with Bacon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the morning after making her pact with Satan and if she thought her headache was bad when so woke up, it's only going to get so much worse.

Grace woke up and immediately wished she hadn’t. It felt like her brain was being stabbed repeated with sharp pointy sticks. She opened her eyes slowly and was relieved to see she was in her room. Wincing as she sat up, Grace scrambled to put the pieces of the day before into place.

As each subsequent event clicked into place, Grace felt an increasing sense of panic. The fight, Satan finding her, making the pact with him. Though the actual making of the pact made her smile. Grace touched her lips, and remembered that he claimed with certainty he would only claim them when she asked him too.

Then what happened afterward hit her like a truck. What she had almost done to the bedridden Xantara, and stopping Satan from doing the same. It was one thing to have almost killed someone in self-defence, it was a totally different thing to threaten a helpless person who was sedated. She remembered the feeling on Satan’s hands on top of hers, his voice as he offered to help her finish the job. At that moment it had felt right like she should have done it.

Nauseated, Grace dashed to the bathroom and only narrowly managed to vomit into the toilet. It was a near thing. When the heaving stopped, she just sat there on the cold bathroom floor. The tears came then and Grace couldn’t stop them. Sobs racked her body and she cried until there were no more tears left. She sat there, exhausted, for a long time and was tempted just not to get up.

Eventually, she hauled herself to her feet. Grace looked at herself in the mirror and laughed. She was still wearing the makeshift poncho and her uniform skirt from the day before. Her hair was a tangled mess, her face streaked from the tears and her eyes red. Well, at least this was a problem she could fix.

The poncho thing needed to die a painful death but for now, the garbage can would have to do. The skirt might be salvageable, so it went into the laundry but the tights were definitely goners. She slipped out of the underwear and confronted her naked body. Ouch, she hated it more than she did any other day. The bruising was so ugly it made her want to cry again, but not as much as looking at the bandages Satan had so precisely applied. Thinking of Satan made her feel confused and hurt, so she shoved him from her mind.

Grace then filled a sink with hot soapy water and cleaned herself as best as possible. All things considered, she thought she’d be in far more pain today. While breathing was uncomfortable, and certain actions triggered a lot of pain, Grace was able to actually move fairly freely.

“Oi! HUMAN!” Mammon bellowed from her room. “Ya dead?”

Grace winced. His loud and boisterous voice was doing nothing good for the pincushion that was her brain. Grace wrapped herself in her big fluffy bathrobe and opened the door. “Mammon, if I was dead I wouldn’t be able to answer the question.”

“Yer late for breakfast,” he informed her, seemingly ignoring her statement. He stood leaning with his back against her bedroom door, with his arms crossed and a big smile on his face.

“Good morning to you too,” Grace muttered, passing by him to go to the closet.

“You have no excuse ta be tired this morning, after being tucked in by THE GREAT MAMMON last night.”

She glanced at him and saw an infuriatingly smug look on his face. Right. Yeah, while Grace definitely didn’t remember that happening, she did remembering ordering Satan to make that happen. That was going to come back and bite her on the ass, wasn’t it? Grace decided not to comment and tried to focus on finding her spare uniform.

“I thought you were kinda dumb and all, but making a pact with Satan? That’s a whole new level of stupid. But after ya made that mistake at least, ya knew when it was time to call in the best brother.”

Her face flushed with embarrassment, “So everyone knows about that?”

“Yup.”

“Maybe I’ll skip breakfast,” Grace said.

“Lucifer wants to talk to ya, but if you’d rather me send him up?”

“Nope, breakfast it is!” Grace grabbed the hanger with her uniform. “Just give me a minute to change.”

“Well hurry up, cause I got better things to do than wait for ya.”

She shut the bathroom door between him, escaping from his cocky expression. Breakfast was going to be delightful. Grace looked at the uniform in her hands and shuddered. The whole damn day was going to be delightful. Still, she started pulling herself together and getting ready.

Mammon left her alone for a few minutes but then asked through the door. “Other than the obvious, why did ya compel him to call me? Did he do something?”

“What did he say about it?” Grace asked, pausing in brushing her hair.

“That is was none of my business,” Mammon said with a snort.

“It's complicated and I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You okay with him?” Mammon pressed with concern in his voice.

“Answers not changing, Mammon,” Grace answered, braiding her hair. “It complicated.”

“If you think ya can’t handle him, tell me. Lucifer assigned you to me. You’re still my human and I’ll give him a beatdown if he deserves it.”

“Thanks, Mammon,” Grace smiled as she applied her makeup.

“Now ya gonna take much longer? Cause ya know Beel’s already down there, right?”

“I’m ready,” Grace opened the door.

Apparently, Mammon had not noticed what clothes she had taken into the bathroom with her, cause he frowned at her uniform. “Ya think your gonna go to class?”

“Yes, I’m going to class,” Grace said

“But-“

“I’ve got nothing worry about if you are with me, right?”

Mammon looked like he was gonna argue, then his face softened. He gave Grace a concerned look. “Ya sure, ya wanna go?”

“Want to, not so much,” Grace said giving her head a shake. “Need to, yes. Gonna show them that they haven’t beat me.”

“Told them my human was a fighter,” Mammon said fondly opening the door.

Grace reached down to where she usually kept her book bag and realized it wasn’t there. “Shit.”

Mammon looked back and realized what she was swearing about. “The Great Mammon’s got ya covered. I found that stuff yesterday. Why don’t cha head down and make sure to get somethin’ and I’ll grab it from my room.”

“Thanks.” Grace headed toward the stairs. She smiled and glanced over her shoulder at his retreating back.

“And here I thought he got lost finding you.”

Grace jumped, startled by Satan’s coming up the stairs behind her. Her heart pounding, she turned to face him. “Good morning, Satan.”

Just like right before she had slapped him last night, he wore a friendly smile. His tone was pleasant and congenial, but Grace could not unseen the other side of him. The one that had urged her to kill.

“It just took me a little longer than normal to get ready,” Grace said a little nervously. “Is there anything left on the table?”

“I made sure you wouldn’t go hungry. I intend on taking very good care of my Mistress,” he paused said the word as if he was savouring it. “Though it would help if she didn’t get in the way of me doing so.”

“How pissed off are you about last night?” Grace asked, nervously.

“Kitten, I’m not angry,” he clarified. “I’ll admit I wasn’t very pleased that you summoned the idiot and the chain of events that resulted from that action. Especially the being interrogated by Lucifer part.” Satan sighed and shook his head. He turned his green eyes flecked with gold on her and smiled. “But, I’m not angry. You just won the first game of chess and we will have many rematches in the future.”

Instead of addressing most of that, Grace just said. “I don’t like being called kitten.”

“Then order me not to do it,” Satan said walking down the stairs with her. “Though it is easier said than done, isn’t it? If I were a betting demon, I would lay coin on the fact you probably have a blinding headache today."

“I think you are the kind of person who only bets when they know the outcome, so yes, I do have a headache,” Grace admitted.

“Think of it like you overstrained a muscle, and I would be careful how much you try to control me today.” He steps off the final step putting their eyes at almost the same level. “I would really hate to see my mistress in pain.”

Screw his analogy of having a pact being like holding the leash of a big dog. Grace as now very much afraid that she held a very big jungle cat by the way he was smiling at her. She held his eyes, “Go back to kitten. Mistress is worse.”

“Command or request?” he asked, grinning.

“You know the answer.” Grace stepped down the final step and crossed into the dining room, leaving him behind her.

“Morning,” she greeted the room brightly. Everyone else looked up as she entered the room. The weight of those stares made the lower her eyes and she made her way to her normal seat. There was a full plate of food in front of her chair, but she did notice that Mammon’s plate was empty. She started transferring the bacon and sausage from her plate to his. Meat was definitely not going to be part of her diet anytime soon. “Mammon said you wanted to talk to me Lucifer?”

“You have a meeting this afternoon with Diavolo at three to discuss yesterday’s incident,” Lucifer informed her from the head of the table. “I understand that Satan will be going with you?”

“Yes, Satan agreed to help with my defence,” Grace confirmed.

Mammon popped into the room and took his traditional seat next to her.

“Lucifer, do you have any insight into what his lordship might have in store for me?” Grace asked hesitantly.

Mammon picked up a strip of bacon and bit into it, prompting a growl from across the table from Beel. “That’s hers!” he snapped at Mammon. Beel seemed to be much more on edge this morning, and Grace feared he might actually lunge across the table at his brother.

“It’s okay Beel, I don’t want it. I’m giving it to him!” Grace said a little too enthusiastically.

“I keep telling you that you don’t eat enough protein,” Beel grumbled. “And you didn’t eat supper last night. You need that.”

Satan took a calm sip of his juice and met her eyes over the edge of the glass. “I wouldn’t push the issue, Beel. I think she’s a little sensitive about the topic of meat. Xantara did threaten to cook Grace into a meatloaf, and feed her to you.”

The room burst into a chaotic cacophony of noise. As Grace put her hands over her ears, she glared at Satan. Manipulative asshole. If he couldn’t murder the bitch, he was going to prod one them into it. He waited for the best moment to reveal that particular piece of information. Everyone, except for Lucifer and Satan, was shouting questions at her, and the sheer amount of anger in the room was suffocating. Beel had transformed into his demon form and looked like he was about to flip the table.

The pounding in her head grew worse and worse. It was no longer enough to cover her ears, she cradled her entire head in her arms and squeezed her eyes shut. It felt like her skull was going to crack from the pressure. Someone lightly touched her arm, but Grace didn’t feel like she could raise her head from the sanctuary of her arms to see who.

Lucifer raised his voice and commanded firmly. “Enough!” It stopped the noise but not the overwhelming feeling of aggression that radiated from the assembled demons. “This matter is now in the hands of Lord Diavolo, and it would reflect poorly on me should any of you take action that would undermine his authority in this matter.” She could hear both Mammon and Beel make the beginnings of protest but Lucifer squashed it swiftly. “That is my final word on the subject.”

Grace put down her arms and opened her eyes. Both Beel and Mammon were in their demonic forms, Satan was sitting calmly in his chair, Levi was looking at her with a concerned look like he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure what to say. Lucifer still was at the head of the table, which meant the hand on her arm must belong to Asmo.

He whispered in her ear, “You okay, princess?”

No, so was not okay, but Grace wasn’t going to tell him that. She looked up and gave him a weak smile. “I just woke with a really bad headache and that was… loud.”

“Perhaps you should remain here until you are needed at the academy,” Lucifer suggested. His tone indicated that it was a strong suggestion, one she would be wise to accept.

“I would prefer to at least attempt to attend my classes,” Grace said as she slowly raised her eyes to meet his. “It is very important to me.”

Those red eyes looked right through her, but she did her best to smile and look confident. It was a long moment and then he nodded his head. “If you insist.” Lucifer moved his attention to Mammon. “Pull yourself together and show some restraint. You need to escort Grace to her classes.”

Satan smoothly interjected. “Perhaps I would be better suited to do so today.”

“Thank you, Satan,” Grace said politely. “But I believe you might be a little too busy in a moment.” He gave her a quizzical look.

Mammon had calmed himself and was appropriately back in his human guise. Grace picked up her book bag and looped her arm in Mammon’s. When they reached the entrance to the dining hall, she tightened her grip on Mammon’s arm. “If any of you have some pent up aggression that needs release, do remember who put the bacon on my plate in the first place.”

Mammon tried to pull back and reenter the room but he allowed Grace to stop him. “Let’s go.” She said to him, as she heard Beel growl behind her.


	3. Defective Model

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mammon walks Grace to school but they take a little side trip.

Grace had felt calm when she had looked at Satan over the table. She’d been nervous but in control when she had asked Lucifer to let her attend her classes. However, the further she got from the dining room the more that false calm crumbled. By the time she stepped outside the house all she felt was frustration and anger.

Mammon pulled his arm away and starting to demand answers, but Grace couldn’t hear the words. All she could hear was her blood pounding in her ears. It throbbed in time with the headache that would not go away. How could she be so stupid? How could he be so cruel?

Grace really wanted to hit something. No that was a lie, she really wanted to hit someone. She balled her hands into fists and walked away from Mammon. He was not the someone she wanted to hit.

A tree. That would do. Grace stopped in front of one of the tall trees that lined the path to the house. She pulled her arm back to assault the helpless vegetation. Only to have Mammon step in front of her and catch it.

“Grace! What’s this?” Mammon asked. He easily held her hand, even when she tried to pull it from his grasp.

“I really want to punch something,” Grace answered. "Actually, I really need to punch something."

Mammon stared at her for a second before he spoke. “That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard you say.” Grace opened her mouth to snap at him but he just continued. “You wanna break your thumb? Cause this shit here is how you break your thumb!” He released her hand and adjusted her fist. “You gotta hold your hand like this. What moron taught you to punch?”

“No one,” Grace admitted defensively. “I’m usually more of a bite, scratch or hit people with a stick kind of girl.”

“Stance is all wrong too. Stand that way and you are just gonna fall on your face.” Mammon shook his head. “Come with me. If you really wanna punch somethin’ the least I can do is make sure you don’t hurt yourself doing it.” He let go of her hand and started walking away. “You comin’ or what?”

Grace hesitated.

“Stay then and let him walk you to class. Like I care.”

Grace quickly fell in step behind him. Mammon was quiet, which was unusual for their morning walk. Usually, he was talking her ear off about his latest scheme or complaining about one of his brothers. Occasionally, he would take a break to remind her how much a burden she was and how he never wanted this job anyway. Though when anyone else offered, he would remind them that it was his job and she was his human.

They made good time to the academy grounds, and her temper hadn’t cooled much. Instead of taking her the building, Mammon led her off to the side of the campus, a small treed area away from prying eyes.

“If you are gonna punch him, your gonna just get one shot, so you betta make it count.” He said, taking off his uniform jacket and hanging it on a tree branch. Mammon held out his hand indicating that she should take her off too. Grace complied and he neatly set hers next to his. “Okay, start with the stance. Go on, throw a punch.”

Grace balled her fist, trying to remember how he’d placed her fingers. Before she could even start to move he reached out and stopped her. “Nope. All wrong.” Mammon came up behind her and put his hands on her waist.

“Mammon!” Grace protested.

“Shut up, and listen. Power comes from the legs.” He tugged on her right hip a bit. “You’re a righty?” He asked it but it was obvious he knew the answer to the question. “Means this leg should be back a bit and you gotta keep your knees bent. Fuck, you're stiff as a board.”

“I wasn’t expecting you to grab me!” Grace growled at him.

“Quit makin’ excuses,” Mammon replied. “Now for your shoulders…”

He spent the next half hour, standing behind her correcting her position. Grace was getting so frustrated if she had the fist right then her balance was off. If the balance was right, then something in her shoulders was wrong. Each time she failed, he mocked her and gently corrected the problem.

When her mistakes were more due to her body tiring than ignorance, Mammon stopped her. “That’s enough. Bell will ring soon, and I’ll catch hell if your late for class.”

He handed Grace her jacket and she put it on reluctantly.

“Quit sulkin’ already,” Mammon said, putting on his own jacket.

“I’m not- shit - no wait I guess I am sulking,” Grace admitted.

Mammon laughed at her.

“I was angry and I didn’t even get to hit anything.”

“Was.”

“What?”

“Was angry. Now your too tired ta be angry.” Mammon smiled, walking over. The poked her on the forehead with a finger. “Means that little human brain of yours might actually start working again. Didn’t know they overheated before today. Maybe we got a defective model?”

“Jerk,” Grace said but there was no venom in her tone. He was right. She did feel calmer and her headache was even slightly improved.

“What got ya so riled?” Mammon asked. “Never seen you like that.”

“What’s got me riled? You’re fucking with me, right?” Grace snapped at him. That pleasant calm feeling started to evaporate. She stared at him a moment flabbergasted. What had her riled? Other than the near-death experience? Or the reminder over breakfast that the bitch wanted to feed her to a housemate? Or the fact she had to face judgment for her action in front of the Demon Prince this afternoon? Where to fucking begin? Grace just shook her head. If he couldn’t get it, she wasn’t gonna explain. ”Fuck it. Nevermind.”

Grace stopped herself and took a deep breath. She started to shove all the emotions back in their boxes and put on her poker face. “Mammon, trust me when I say, there are a lot of ways you haven’t seen me. I’ve just been doing my best to keep my head down and just survive this.” She gestured in the direction of the academy. “Maybe you’re right though and they just picked a defective model.”

Mammon looked at her, his expression seemed sad for a moment before he snapped his own disguise into place. “After you,” he said, gesturing to the path they arrived on. As Grace started walking, she heard Mammon say from behind her. “Well, at least if we had to get a defective human, at least they picked one with a nice ass. I like a little extra junk in the trunk.”

Grace opened her mouth to yell at him, but all that came out was a barked laugh.


	4. Two Can Play That Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the morning of classes, Grace is met by an unexpected messenger.

The first two classes went pretty much as Grace had expected them to. Conversations stopped when she neared them, and the whispers would start when she started walking away. Grace held her head high and no longer lowered her eyes to anyone. Let them whisper. Let them all wonder how it went down. Whatever they came up with had to be more interesting than what actually happened.

The best part of her morning was finally being able to actually take part in the classes. Before, Grace would only answer questions if the teacher specifically called on her, but now not only could she answer questions, but she could actually ask for clarification if she wanted it. The first time she raised her hand in the air caused a bit of stir but she ignored it. The teacher had actually rolled his eyes when he called her name, but his expression quickly changed when her question had actual merit.

Unfortunately, her head still hurt. Sometimes it was a dull throbbing pain, but other times it felt like her brain was being stabbed repeatedly by thousands of tiny needles. Maybe she should skip and go to the infirmary after lunch. Even if the healer couldn’t figure out what was causing it, at least he might have something to dull the pain.

Shit, no that was not going to work. Xantara might still be there. Grace didn’t want to face her again until she actually had to. She would just endure the pain.

The bell rang and Grace gathered her books and put them into her bag. Despite the constant discomfort and pressure in her skull, Grace felt the morning had gone very well. She felt a little empowered. Grace held on tight to that feeling because she was going to need every bit of courage to do what she planned next.

Levi came up to her desk. “Hey, Mammon got in trouble and is running late. He asked me to keep an eye on you over lunch. You almost ready to go?”

An orange tabby kitten jumped on her desk. Grace recognized Oli immediately from the night before. She still had puncture marks in her cleavage from him, after all. Oli took one look at Levi and hissed. It might have been meant to be a fearsome sound but the impact was diminished by his lack of stature.

“Hey Whiskers,” Grace greeted, again purposely choosing the wrong name.

“My name is Oli,” he repeated.

“Heard you the first time, Ginger. What do you want?” Grace asked.

“Satan wants you to meet him in the library for lunch,” Oli replied.

“And you’re telling me this why?”

“Cause you don’t have one of those stupid whatzit things right now.” Oli pointed a paw toward Levi, who was idly checking his DDD while Grace was talking to the cat. “And because he asked nicely and promised to put in a good word with Grampa for me.”

“Would you please tell Satan that I have something important to do, and I won’t be there right away?” Grace asked.

The cat snorted. “No. He asked me to deliver a message and I did. Now I’m going to find myself a nice place to have my afternoon nap.” Oli stretched and looked like he was about to jump down.

Grace smiled. It was going to be like that, was it? If Grace was done taking crap from demons, there was no way she was going to let this ball of fur manipulate her. Oli might be a cat, but at one point in her life, Grace had been a teenage girl. Two could play this game. “Such a shame that when he asks I’ll have to tell him that I haven’t seen you all day, Tigger.”

“That’s a lie!” Oli hissed.

“Who is he going to believe? Me or a cat?” Grace asked. “Your entire species has a reputation for being unreliable and totally self-serving.”

“So does yours!” Oli retorted.

Grace batted her eyelashes innocently. “But I have a witness. Oh, Levi? Did you see an annoying orange ball of fluff during lunch hour?”

“Uh, yeah,” Levi answered distractedly. “He’s right there.”

Grace had never thought that she would actually see a Cheshire cat grin in real life, but she was wrong. Oli was smug and his tail was waving back and forth. Grace snatched Levi’s DDD from his hand and two a couple steps back, holding it out of his reach. “Levi, pay attention. Did you see an amazingly arrogant and entitled ball of fluff approach me during the lunch hour?” As she said it, Grace deliberately shook her head.

This time Levi got the message, he held out his hand for his device. “No, I definitely didn’t see a talking cat who had a message from Satan.”

“Thank you,” Grace said with a smile and returned his DDD. She then turned back to Oli, “So, if you don’t want him to think you failed at this task, you really should take my return message back to him.”

Oli hissed at Grace. “I really don’t like you.”

“The feeling is entirely mutual, Felix,” Grace replied.

Oli jumped off of her desk and stalked out of the room.

Levi looked at her. “Why did you purposefully antagonize a cat? You could have borrowed my DDD to send Satan a message.”

“If you think that was dumb, just wait until you see what I’m doing for an encore.” Grace grinned as she headed to the door.

“You’ve got something up your sleeve that’s even more stupid than pissing off a cat and blowing off Satan?” Levi asked, following behind her. “Okay, this I gotta see.”


	5. You Don't Sound Very Sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi reveals that he knows Grace is H3NR1

Levi had spent most of the morning trying to decide what he wanted to do about Grace? Should he tell Grace that he knew she was H3NR1? Or would it be better to just continue to play along until she wanted to reveal it herself? Of course, now that he knew how well Grace could keep a secret, Levi might be waiting a long, long time.

He heard nothing the teacher said in the class they shared. Levi kept weighing his options. He was still really upset about the whole double identity thing. How could she just play him like that? Why didn’t she just tell him? Originally, Levi had planned on confronting her about it after breakfast, but after to whole ‘meatloaf’ thing, he kinda felt that it would be a dick move.

The text from Mammon was both a blessing and a curse. Walking Grace to the cafeteria would give them a few minutes to talk to her without any of his other siblings around, but to make use of it, Levi really had to make a decision. Confront her while he had a chance, or wait.

The encounter with the cat helped Levi make up his mind. The way she talked back to the cat, reminded him of how she talked back to him as H3NR1. It gave him a little hope that the whole thing hadn’t been a long-running scheme to tease and mock him.

So as they travelled the halls, Levi tested the waters about the subject. “So, about your DDD. You know I unlocked it on Satan’s orders, right?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Are you worried that I might be mad about it?”

“Nah, even if you were, you’d probably be madder at him than me.” Levi paused after that for a minute. “So while I was looking for clues on where you might be, I looked at everything.”

Grace sighed. “I can’t say I like that. In fact, it makes me very uncomfortable but I guess it was an emergency.”

Levi frowned. How was she this dense? “Grace, I mean EVERYTHING.”

“I heard you. It’s okay Levi, I told you-“

“I know you’re H3NR1!” he shouted, drawing looks from a couple of the other students who decided it might be wise to put a little extra distance between them.

“Oh.” Grace stopped and looked at him.

“Oh? Is that all you have to say?” Levi asked.

“What do you want me to say, Levi?” Grace asked.

“Tell me why. Why did you lie to me?”

“I didn’t lie,” Grace said defensively. “I just didn’t tell you the whole truth.”

“It’s the same thing!”

“No, no it’s not!” Grace paused and then said quietly. “How can I explain this?” She thought about it, then started asking him questions. “Levi, what’s my favourite colour?”

“Green. Whenever you get a chance to custom tint your armour sets they are always green.”

“Did I like the series finale of ‘Time Travel High School’?

“No, you thought it was lazy writing,” Levi answered. “I still disagree and think that it was perfect.”

“Levi, how did I feel about going to school?”

He paused. “You said you liked the classes well enough but sometimes, sometimes you just wanted to disappear.” The sentence grew progressively softer.

Grace looked at him. “You didn’t know it was me, but are probably the only one that knows me. At least some of me.”

Levi hadn’t thought of it that way. It didn’t make the hurt go away, or make the sense of betrayal entirely disappear, but it did make him feel a little bit better. “I’m still hurt,” he admitted.

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” Grace said. It was the right words, but she sounded impatient with him.

“You don’t sound like you are very sorry.” He knew he sounded pouty.

“I’m sorry that I don’t sound more sorry.” Irritation had now replaced the impatience. She could hear it too, and took a deep breath and started again. Her tone was still very matter of fact, but it was softer. “There is something I want to do before I might not have another chance to. I don’t know what’s waiting for me in Diavolo’s office at three and I really want to do this.”

Levi felt insulted. This was his time to talk to her. His time to be heard. “What could possibly be more important than making time for your friend?”

“Have you ever wanted to see the cheerleader bitches taken down a peg?”

Levi nodded. Honestly, who hadn’t?

“I’ve somethings I want to say to them. Things I’ll regret not saying if things go badly at that meeting. Lunch is the best time, while they are all holding court in the cafeteria.”

Levi could already picture it in his mind. Panel by panel, as though it was one of the manga’s he collected. The underdog heroine, who possessed a sharp wit and an understated beauty, calling out the ruling elite of the school, the vain and powerful cheerleaders. Levi’s eyes lit up, and he smiled. There was only one proper response to this situation.

“Fine, let's go, but I’m so filming this.”


	6. Girl Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace has a more than a few things she needs to get off her chest. Publicly and in the most embarrassing way possible for her tormentors. You know, normal girl stuff.

The cafeteria was nearly full when Grace and Levi entered it. Normal cafeterias were loud enough, but add to the normal din of noise hisses, growls and the occasional smattering of the infernal tongue, and it was nearly unbearable. Grace had to close her eyes for a moment as she stepped through the door, the pain in her head spiking from the sudden assault of the sound. 

Levi touched her shoulder, and she opened her eyes. He looked concerned but she gave him a cheerful smile. “I’m fine,” she reassured him. “It’s just a headache.” 

Her words did nothing to ease the look of worry in his eyes. “Same one from breakfast? Maybe you should go to the infirmary?”

“Once my mission is complete, then and only then may I rest,” Grace said with a playful wink.

He was still frowning, but Levi was no longer protesting, so Grace turned her attention to the room. The line at the food counter was long, and almost all of the tables were full. There were two notable exceptions of course. The brothers’ had a regular table, no one dared to sit there without an invitation, even if it was mostly empty on some days. Then, of course, there was the cheerleader table, or at least that was how she thought of it in her head. Mean girl table might be a more appropriate label because while four of the six that regularly sat there were cheerleaders, the other two excelled at different things. Whatever label she chose to put on it, that table currently had only one seat available. It would not be empty for long.

Grace was tempted to ask Levi to wish her luck, but she didn’t want to imply that she needed it. She took a calming breath and brought herself up to her full height. “I’m going in,” Grace said to Levi. She walked over to the table and sat down as if she had every right in the world to be there.

For a minute none of the five demonesses at the table said a word, they just stared at Grace with a variety of expressions ranging from nervous to enraged. While she was frightened of them, Grace held her ground.

“How dare you?!” Vierra hissed. Literally hissed, she was a feline demoness with bright orange curly hair and cat slitted green eyes.

“What?” Grace said with feigned innocence. “It’s not like she’s going to be showing up today. Xantara is still in the infirmary and probably eating her lunch through a straw.”

“Leave before you ruin our appetites,” Yanri ordered. She had bright green hair, and her skin tone was a soft grey. Grace had heard that she was part gorgon and the tinted glasses she wore supported that theory. “The very smell of you disgusts me.” 

“Really?” Grace asked. “I actually have it on pretty good authority, that I both smell and taste pretty delicious. You might want to ask Xantara about that. When she’s capable of talking above a whisper that is.”

“Leave! You don’t belong here!” Grace smiled, perversely glad that she was getting under someone’s skin. It was Oriana who shouted at her. There was definitely some wolf in her background, with her shaggy grey hair that would do a glam rock singer proud and elongated canines. Her yellow eyes glared at Grace.

“At this table?” Grace glanced around at the ladies, then answered her own question. “You know what, you’re right about that. I don’t belong here and I wouldn’t want to belong here. You six-sorry five-are some of the nastiest bitches I have ever met, and that is saying something because I’ve met some real pieces of shit in my past.”

Ari started to protest, but she was the weak link in this bunch. In place of hair, she had fine blond feathers. Her frame was delicate looking and she had a sharp nose. Grace had no problem talking over her. “Like I said, I don’t belong at this table, but I do belong at this school. And you know what else until your damn ruler says otherwise, I belong here in Devildom.”

“I think the human girl might need a lesson in manners,” Calinda spoke in a soft voice but despite the volume it commanded attention. She spoke rarely but when she did people listened, but that was her power, she was descended from sirens. She looked the most human of them all, as though she could step out of the doors and onto the cover of a fashion magazine. Gorgeous full chestnut brown hair, big hazel eyes and a killer figure. Knowing what she did now, Grace wondered why it was that Xantara was queen bitch instead of Calinda.

“Are you going to be the one to teach them to me, Cali?” Grace asked. “There are lots of beds in the infirmary, so feel free to try.” Grace raised her voice, making sure it would carry. “The game has changed ladies. I’m not going to put up with your shit anymore. I’m not going to take your abuse anymore. You don’t have to fucking like me, but there is only one person who has the power to make me go anywhere and he’s sure as hell not sitting at this table.”

“Oooh, look like someone put on her big girl panties this morning,” Oriana said.

“No Ori, look at her, she has to put on big girl panties every day,” Ari said meanly.

“Really, is that the best you can come up with? A fat joke?” Grace rolled her eyes. “Seriously? That’s weak.”

“Look, human,” Calinda said, with a slightly bored tone in her voice. “You got lucky yesterday, but luck eventually runs out. Do you really think that you can outlast and outsmart all of us?”

“Outsmart?” Grace laughed. “Oh, you actually meant that as an honest question? Face it, this table isn’t sitting too high in the brains department.”

Yanri laughed. “It is you who is stupid to mock us. Your flesh is weak human, vulnerable to our claws. Your mind is weak, easily influenced by our magics. Your spirit weaker still.” The others joined her in laughing, secure in their superiority.

It made Grace angry, and the angrier she got the more her head hurt. “I think I know now maybe what Lord Diavolo is seeking to teach you. It might be you need to learn a little humility. First, there is Solomon, a powerful sorcerer in his own right but not only that he had pacts with over seventy demons. A human who could defeat all five of you and whatever fuck toys you are currently calling your boyfriends without even glancing up from the book he’s reading.” Someone tried to interrupt her, but Grace wasn’t going to be stopped. “You will **shut up and listen!** ” The pain in her head lessened slightly, but her vision started to blur along the edges. “Then there is me. No one special, no great power to speak of, and no demons at my command. I fucking defeated Xantara with shit I could find in a kitchen. I didn’t lay a hand on her, and she’s the one in the infirmary. Let that sink in. A nothing human with shit she could find in a Devildom kitchen took one of you out. Do you think maybe there is a lesson in that? Underestimate any human again and you might just end up six feet under."

She didn’t need to see Satan to know it was him approaching behind her. Grace could just feel it. “I’m late for our meeting, aren’t I?” Grace asked. “That was rude of me.”

“It seemed like you had your hands full dealing with some trash,” he replied, standing just behind her shoulder. “Would you like some assistance?”

“No, I think I’m done here,” Grace replied. “I thank you for the offer though.” Now that she was no longer so focussed on letting out all of the frustration and anger she’s been holding on to for months, the pain returned and her vision grew even fuzzier. There was no way that she was going to show weakness, not now. Grace casually reached for Satan’s arm. "Let’s go.”

She allowed to lead, and they started walking toward to door. Grace turned her head back toward the table. She could see the bright colours of the demoness’ hair, but no details. “And Ari? It would probably be a good idea for you to be at Lord Diavolo’s office at three. I will be telling him of your part in yesterday’s assault.” 

Satan spoke to Grace in a low calm voice, pitched so that only she could hear him. “Tell me what is wrong.” It was a statement, not a question. He obviously knew there was a problem but was doing her the courtesy of not revealing it to everyone. She should have known that Satan would understand and respect the necessity of not showing weakness to your enemies.

“I thought blinding pain was a figure of speech,” Grace said in an equally hushed tone. It was a struggle to keep a smile on her face, when she was this terrified. The world around her was now just a white haze. “I can’t see anything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you. I cannot thank those that are still with me and still following the various adventures of Grace through different timeline. I cherish every kudo and especially every comment. Thank you for letting me do what I love and share if with you.


	7. More Questions Than Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Satan tries his best to help with the aftermath of the lunchroom confrontation.

Satan had been well aware of just how displeased Grace was this morning, but truth be told he wasn’t entirely to fond of her attempting to engineer a fight between him and Beel. However, he had thought she was smart enough to realize that they should talk before this afternoon’s meeting with Diavolo. Apparently, he had been mistaken.

“She said what?” Satan asked, looking to the cat for clarification. Maybe he had misheard the message.

Oli was sitting on the floor in the library casually bathing. “Something wrong with your hearing?”

Satan arched an eyebrow.

Oil sighed. “She said she had something to take care of and she’d be late.” The kitten paused to wet his paw once more, then continued to wash his face. “Have a mentioned that I don’t like her?”

“Not in the last two minutes,” Satan answered, pulling out his DDD.

“She’s with the fish boy, not the loud one,” Oli mentioned helpfully.

Satan texted Levi asking where Grace was now and received an immediate reply in the form of an image. It showed Grace walking toward the table where Xantara’s friends congregated. What was she thinking? Wasn’t there already enough on her plate with the meeting with Diavolo? Why add this complication to an already challenge-filled day?

He exhaled and made a frustrated sound. It would probably be best to go fetch Grace before she got herself in too much trouble. Satan walked with purpose toward the lunchroom. There was no need to run, Levi was there and even he would be able to prevent blood from actually being spilled.

Opening the cafeteria door, Satan could hear Grace’s voice. She commanded the room, her voice ringing out loudly over the murmurs of the watching crowd. He smiled, while he was annoyed at her disruption of his plans for this time, it was gratifying to hear her take to task those who tormented her.

No one had noticed his arrival. Why would they when there was such entertainment to be had. It was an especially powerful show for Satan. As much as Beel enjoyed food to satisfy his sin, situations like these were a banquet for Satan. There were so many flavours of anger and rage to savour. Grace’s somewhat righteous fury was particularly delicious, but there were other tastes to be had. Everyone at that table was angry and each person’s frustration, rage and yes fear was spiced differently. Satan leaned against a pillar and watched the show. There seemed to be no need for him to intervene. Grace had the situation under control.

Until she didn’t. Something unexpected happened, at one point just as Grace was reaching the climax of her tirade, Oriana tried to interrupt her. Satan could feel magic bend to her will, and so would anyone else who used sorcery. Ori’s mouth moved but no sound came out and she wasn’t the only one affected. No sound came from any of the girls that Grace was venting her rage at. Satan didn’t even think that Grace had realized what she had done.

Casting something of this magnitude without preparation was dangerous. Magic always came at a price, ritual and focus were needed not as most people thought to use it. The ritual and focus, the words and symbols, they existed to help insulate the caster from the damage the power could cause. Satan started moving his way through the crowd. He did not rush to her side. That would only undermine what she accomplished today. But Satan knew that at best, Grace was moments from collapse and worst…it didn’t do any good to dwell on how terribly fragile the human body was.

Grace addressed Satan casually with looking in his direction. For a moment, he allowed himself to hope that she might have escaped consequences. That hope faded quickly when she reached out for him. There was no way Grace would have done that if she wasn’t in dire straits.

Satan had a fantastic poker face, his expression betrayed nothing. He smiled at the silently seated ladies and carefully escorted Grace away from the table. He could feel that she was unsteady on her feet, and he did his best to help camouflage that fact from the eyes that were on them. Satan wondered how many of them truly understood what just happened, and of those, who would now see Grace as a threat, or worse a pawn to be used.

When they were almost out the crowd he quietly demanded to know what was wrong.

“I thought blinding pain was a figure of speech,” Grace said. He could hear how hard she was trying to be brave. “I can’t see anything.”

“Whoever decided that you have no natural aptitude for magic was a moron,” Satan growled softly. “Let’s get you to the infirmity, and then we will figure out how to fix this.”

Grace shook her head. “Not the infirmary.”

“And what is your plan then? Walk into walls for the rest of the day?” Satan asked, being cruel intentionally. “I am many things, but a seeing-eye dog is not one of them.”

“I don’t want them to be right,” Grace said. “I don’t want to be weaker than them.”

That was what she took away from this? That she was somehow flawed and weak? Satan shook his head as he opened the door for her. “The library then,” he offered as a compromise. “We will find a quiet space and we will find a way to fix this. However, I will need some things from the infirmary.”

Levi burst out from the cafeteria doors fast on their heels, a bundle of energy and excitement. Grace winced at the volume of his voice. “That was epic! Grace you were so awesome!” He bounded up to Satan and Grace and then his mood changed significantly when he witnessed how pale she was. “You okay? Headache still bothering you?”

“Yes,” Satan answered for her. “Since Xantara is still in the infirmary, Grace is being stubborn and refuses to use common sense and go where she can be treated properly. If I give you a list of what she needs-“

Levi didn’t wait for Satan to finish the sentence before agreeing. “Sure, and while I’m there I can show Xantara the video and poke her with a sharp stick a couple of times.”

“Remember that we are to leave her to Diavolo’s justice,” Satan reminded him.

“I won’t poke her anywhere vital,” Levi said with a pout. “Where should I bring the stuff?”

“Library. There is are couches, and I think I can convince her to lie down for a bit before the meeting.” Satan answered.

“I’m right here,” Grace reminded him. “No need to make decisions about me like I’m not holding onto your arm, but yes I’d rather go lie down in the library than go to the infirmary. Thank you, Levi.”

“You sure it wouldn’t be better if you go to the infirmary?” Levi asked, with concern. “I mean, I would totally wheel her out of there and leave her out on the lawn.” Satan could see that while Levi’s words were directed to Grace, they were really meant for him. Levi was not blind, nor stupid. He might not know what exactly was wrong, but he could sense that it was worse than he was being told. “Don’t worry, the offer to poke her with a pointy stick stands in either scenario.”

Grace laughed. Satan was a little offended. Levi offers to injure Grace’s enemies and she smiles. When Satan offered to smite Grace’s enemy she used the pact to compel him not to and held a grudge about it. The girl either had a double standard or she naively assumed that Levi was joking.

“Honestly, the library would be quieter,” Satan answered.

Levi looked skeptical but nodded in agreement. “Text me your list, and I’ll meet you there. See you soon, Grace.” She smiled and nodded. Levi started walking away but he glanced over his shoulder with a concerned frown.

Satan quickly texted a Levi the list, pair of common potions, and then scooped Grace up into his arms.

“Hey!” She complained.

“Shut up. This is not up for debate.” Satan squashed her protest. He expected her to argue anyway, but she just accepted it. Satan just took that as a sign that she really was in that much pain. He started walking, doing his best not to jar her too much. “So first things first, you have to cancel the spell you cast on that entire table of demons. While personally, I would find their continued silence a joyful respite, maintaining that is draining personal resources you do not have to spare right now.”

“But I didn’t-“

“You did,” Satan interrupted. “You commanded them to shut up and listen, and they are still silent.”

“But how?” Grace asked, clearly confused.

“We will figure out the how later,” Satan answered.

“If I don’t know how I did it, how do you expect me to figure out how to stop doing it?”

Satan could hear the edge of panic in her voice. “You don’t have to do it alone, but I can’t help you until we get where are going. In the meantime, keep your eyes closed, and try to relax.”

Grace laughed. “Relax? You want me to relax?!”

This was not working well, and Grace suddenly was not the only one with a headache. Satan was getting frustrated. Why could she not just follow directions? “Grace, just start by being quiet and just breathing, okay? Take this literally one breath at a time. Just one more flight of stairs and we will be at the library.”

Surprisingly, she was quiet for a little bit. “Satan, what is my sight doesn’t come back?”

“Then we will train Cerberus to be a seeing-eye dog,” Satan answered in a deadpan voice.

Grace laughed, but this time it wasn’t the one of irritation but a laugh with a least a hint of mirth. “That’s ridiculous.”

“You’re right. He’s probably a little too old to be trained. Centuries of habits to break,” Satan replied, with mock sadness. “We will just have to get a puppy and train him or her.”

“He’s had puppies?” Grace asked.

“This is Devildom, kitten. Hardly anyone or anything is celibate.” Satan smiled as she giggled again. By the way, she was leaning into his body instead of trying to hold herself away from him, he could tell she was starting to calm down. She was probably still terrified, but she was no longer barely holding the panic at bay. “Be prepared to go through a lot of shoes. Three heads leave an amazing amount of devastation behind them.”

Satan opened the door to the library and made his way to one of the back sections. He felt a sense of peace just entering the room. Both here and at home, the library was his domain. Other than the dalliances, Asmo thought Satan was unaware of, few of his brothers entered either room.

With great care, he settled both himself and Grace on the couch. He sat at one end and she had the other two-thirds, with her head propped up by a cushion. Satan would have just laid her head on his lap, contact would make the next steps easier, but she was uneasy enough as it was. So, he made do with just lightly stroking her hair with one hand.

Satan quickly checked his DDD, acknowledging multiple messages, but not giving detailed replies. Levi would be the only one who knew where she was at the moment, and he hoped that his sibling had enough sense to be discrete about it. All the others needed to know was that she was resting before the meeting and that he was with her. An onslaught of confused and worried demons would not help anything at this moment. He turned the device entirely off, after sending a final missive to Levi letting him know what section they had sheltered in.

“Let’s try this again. I want you to try to ignore everything else around us. Listen to the sound of my voice.” Satan’s hand briefly left her hair, as he reached down and took one of her hands. He guided it upward, above her head and laid it on his chest. “Feel the beat of my heart. Feel the way I breathe in and out.” Satan held her hand there with one hand and returned to stroking her hair with the other. As he hoped, she matched the cadence of her breathing to his own.

It was then Levi arrived. He made no grand entrance, nor did he say a word in greeting. Levi set the potions he had gathered from the infirmary down near Satan’s feet and then settled himself on the carpeted floor a little distance away. Levi looked at Satan with a challenge in his eyes, almost daring Satan to ask him to leave. Satan nodded his head in thanks to Levi for gathering what was needed and returned his full attention to Grace. If Levi was not going to interfere, then he was welcome to stay, and so far Levi showed no signs that he was going to do anything more than watch.

“Are you comfortable?” Satan asked Grace.

“No,” she answered, her voice sleepy. Good, she was almost in a trance-like state, that was a good start. “Everything hurts.”

“We’re going to work on that.” Satan chose his words carefully. He didn’t promise he could make the pain go away, because she was probably going to hurt for quite some time. He also didn’t tell her everything was going to be okay, because he wasn’t sure that it was going to be. Satan only wanted to offer actual hope, not false hope.

“I want you to try to ignore the room where we are. The physical doesn’t matter right now. Know that you are safe. I’m here and Levi is here. Nothing bad will happen in the physical. What’s important right now, the only thing you need to worry about is what’s happening inside. Turn your attention inward.” This was basics, but that was probably the best place to start. “Visualize it. Just like in charms class.”

She frowned. “It is a mess in here.”

Satan closed his eyes and tried to follow the connection their pact had forged between them. Everyone visualized things their own way, framing their experience with the mystic in a way that suited them. Satan had been hoping to be able to glimpse what Grace was seeing, to be able to help maybe guide her. However, he was met very firmly by a locked door.

Satan tried politely knocking. “Will you let me help?” He could feel hesitation on her part. “I might be able to see things you don’t”

“I don’t want you in here,” Grace said, her voice muffled by the metaphysical door. “You frighten me.”

Satan could feel that it was only half of the sentence. “And?”

“I frighten me when you are around.” Satan could barely hear the words, but he could feel the emotions behind them. “It's bad enough you’ve left your stuff lying around cluttering up my room.”

So behind this door, she pictured a room, and in that room, she visualized their connection by things she associated with him. “You know that those things aren’t going away, right? The pact isn’t going anywhere.”

Satan could feel her grudging acceptance of that part of the situation. “I promise, I will help you clean the room. I will help put my belongings in a box so you know where they all are and once we have cleaned the room, you can lock me back on this side of the door.” He could feel doubt in her silence, but he patiently waited for her to give it voice.

“I don’t trust you.”

“If I don’t listen, then take one of my belonging and start to destroy it. It will make me obey.”

There was a long silence, and then he heard the click of the lock and Grace opened the door. “Don’t overstay your welcome,” she said sternly.

She looked different to him in this place. The Grace that stood before him was how she pictured herself. While her physical body carried extra weight, the one before him was obese. Her hair was dull and lank. Her eyes had no sparkle. The clothing she pictured her self was ill-fitting and covered every inch of her flesh, including wearing gloves. The only thing that really resembled the Grace he knew was the slightly timid smile. He had seen that smile before rarely that first month but more and more often lately. It was the one she had when she tentatively offered trust and tried to connect with those around her.

Satan stepped inside, aware and cautious of the risk Grace felt like she was taking. He would touch nothing he was not given permission to touch. The place she visualized was a large bedroom. A bed dominated a corner of the room, one wall was lined with bookshelves, and the one in front of her bed had shelves as well with what looked to be video games and a flat-screen tv. There was a desk, with a series of journals stacked, and one that was still open. The two things that concerned him most were the window and the closet. The window was wide open, and seemed to be almost sucking the air from the room into a void, despite looking a beautifully sunny day on Earth. The closet was ajar and there seemed to be darkness seeping from it.

Grace was right. It really was a mess in here. The room looked like it had been hit by a tornado. The floor was littered with things that should be on the shelves, the bed was in complete disarray. Clothing was strewn everywhere most of it hers, but he did spot a few things that belonged to him, like the boa he usually sported in his demon form. Grace look at him from the middle of the room and said. “It’s usually not like this.” Her voice held shame and it sounded like she feared his criticism.

“No, I don’t imagine it would be,” Satan answered. “Let’s start by closing the window. I think that would be a good first step.” He was guessing that was how she interpreted the energy draining out into the spell. “Can I?”

“No!” Grace protested. “I’ve got it.” She quickly crossed the room and shut the window.

“Does it have a lock?” He asked.

“Not anymore,” she answered. “It’s broken.”

Satan nodded and didn’t comment. He didn’t want to worry her further, but that was likely a clear symbol that she had no control over what was happening and that Grace could do it again. “What will you let me do to help?”

Grace was quiet, and then she made a decision. She walked to the end of the bed and opened the drawer in the bed frame. Grace removed a few things from it and then turned to him. “You can gather your crap and put it in there.”

“You are already giving me a drawer?” Satan couldn’t help saying with a smirk. “We’ve only been partners a few days, how sudden.”

“Don’t be an asshole or the boa bites it,” Grace snapped at him. There was a tiny hint of light in her eyes, so she was obviously feeling a little better.

Once he tucked the things she associated with him away, Grace grudgingly let him help put the books back on her shelf, while she remedied the chaos of the video games that needed to be put back in their cases and matched with their instruction manuals. He finished his task before she finished hers, so Satan sat in her desk chair and waited. Without intending to, his eyes fell on the open journal on the desk.

Seeing what was written on the page, Satan had to quickly clamp down a surge of anger. He mostly succeeded, but she still looked up at him with a look of confusion having sensed something. “Did you say something?” Grace asked.

“No, you must have heard me yawning,” Satan answered smoothly, swivelling the chair so his back was to the desk.

“Yeah, I’m pretty tired too,” Grace agreed, nodding her head. “I think I’ll take a nap and finish this later. Thank you. I appreciate your help.”

“Do you feel better?” He asked. Satan knew the answer. The more this place was put back in order, the more colour returned to her cheeks, and the more the light returned to her eyes.

Grace nodded. “Time for you to go.”

“Don’t trust me to lock the door on my way out?” Satan asked.

She snorted. “Not a chance.”

“I’d be hurt, but I wouldn’t trust me either.” He walked to the door. “Rest, and I’ll see you soon.”

Grace nodded, and then looked pointedly at the open door. He smirked and then walked through it, and Satan heard that lock click shut.

Reopened his eyes, and blinked a couple of times. Satan guided Grace’s hand from his chest and tucked it against her body. He gave it a gentle squeeze before releasing it completely. He sighed, which made Levi look up at him. There were many questions in his brother’s orange eyes, but Satan answered the most pressing one first. “She’s just sleeping now.”

Satan reached for his DDD and turned it on to check the time. What had happened in her mind had felt like it had taken hours, but only fifteen minutes had passed since Levi’s arrival. Good, there was still time before that meeting.

“Is she going to be okay?” Levi asked, keeping his voice soft. He rose from where he was sitting and approached the couch. “

“I don’t know.” Satan didn’t like not knowing. “I think so, but right now she’s actually a danger to herself and others.” He reached down and picked up the items Levi brought. Satan looked at his brother and asked. “Help me sit her up so she can drink the potions.” He had asked Levi to bring two, one to dull pain and the other to help her sleep. Satan was particularly glad that he’d asked for the second. He didn’t her waking until he was back.

They had Grace sitting, Levi on one side and Satan on the other. Once they made sure she swallowed both, Satan leaned her unconscious body against Levi. “Take her home and keep her safe. There is no way she could summon me in this condition.”

Levi looked insulted. “You don’t need to tell me to keep her safe.”

Satan wouldn’t apologize. He didn’t actually want to trust her care to anyone right now, but there was something he had to do.

Meeting his eyes, Levi asked, “Satan, what happened today?”

“I don’t know,” Satan said those words for a second time. They didn’t taste any better in his mouth this time either. “Take her home,” Satan repeated. “I’ve got a meeting to attend.”

“Text Lucifer and make him cancel it,” Levi said.

“I don’t need Lucifer to cancel that meeting. I’m just going to steal the time slot.”

The notebook he had glimpsed in Grace’s mind. The script wasn’t in English, nor any other human language. Satan might have understood if it had been written in the Infernal tongue. Grace had learned some of that in her time here, and it would make sense to record her thoughts of this time in that. However, the journal wasn’t written in Infernal either. That notebook was written in Celestial script, something Grace would not have ever laid eyes on.

There was no need to hide his anger anymore. Lord Diavolo was going to answer his questions, and if Satan didn’t like the answers, even Lucifer might not be able to protect their liege from him.


	8. When Did You Know?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Satan has questions for Lord Diavolo, and Lucifer is brought up to speed.

Lucifer was early for the meeting with Diavolo, and he was not the only one. Solomon was also already present in the anteroom. Lucifer felt that his presence was at best a tactic to push the demoness off guard. Solomon had been fully interviewed about the situation already, so there was little he could actually add to the conversation at this point.

The sorcerer was sitting patiently, reading a book. However, his very presence was annoying. Solomon kept glancing at Lucifer with a smile. It was not a pleasant one. The curve of Solomon’s lips was smug and hinted at some knowledge he possessed that Lucifer did not. Whatever Solomon thought he knew, it was obvious he wanted to be asked, and would not offer it freely.

Barbatos was the only other person in the room. The demon butler stood by the door to the inner office, totally at ease. It was easy to forget him, but it was also equally foolish to do so. His own powers were equal, perhaps even greater than that of the avatars, and yet it was Barbatos’ choice to serve so. No, forgetting or discrediting him was a foolish mistake that too many made.

The outer door opened and Satan walked in. Lucifer was about to praise him for being early, but two things stopped him. The first being the look in Satan’s eyes that promised violence was on the agenda. The second was that Grace was not with him.

Satan walked right past Lucifer, not even acknowledging his presence and stopped in front of Barbatos. His voice was calm when he addressed the demon, but Lucifer had heard that tone before and it promised nothing good was going to come of this encounter.

“Barbatos,” Satan said, giving his head a tiny dip in greeting, “It is imperative that I speak with Lord Diavolo before this farce actually begins. I have information that impacts its outcome that I believe he would prefer not to become common knowledge.”

“Satan,” Barabtos inclined his head in the exact same degree that Satan had greeted him with. “Unless your mistress has managed to turn herself invisible once more, she is not present. She is necessary for this meeting, so perhaps you should fetch her so that it can begin as scheduled.”

Lucifer slowly walked toward the pair of them, very curious as to why he had arrived here without his mistress in tow. Solomon’s smile grew, as though he already knew why Grace was not here. However, he said nothing and kept his attention on the book in his hands. Lucifer doubted that the text was more interesting than the conversation at hand, but Solomon politely pretended that it was so.

“Unfortunately, she is incapable of being present today,” Satan stated.

Lucifer noticed that Solomon did not look up when that bit of information was presented. Somehow the sorcerer already knew that. Lucifer did not like that he seemed to be the only one in the dark. “And I was not informed of this why?” Lucifer demanded of Satan.

“Because it is a sensitive matter that is best discussed in person and not shared over DDD,” Satan stated. “And I knew that regardless of how I feel about this, you were going to have to be a part of this discussion-“ The way Satan emphasized that word telegraphed that it was not the best word for what he wanted to do. It was the polite substitution. “With Diavolo.”

“If this matter has to do with the human in our charge, then yes I am bound to be a part of it.” Lucifer agreed. There was the tiniest shift of Satan’s eyes when Lucifer said the word human. No one else would have caught it, not even the other siblings. No one knew Satan as well as he did.

Barbatos was quiet for a moment. That silence had weight as he seemed to consider not only the words that were spoken but what went unsaid. “I will inquire if Lord Diavolo has time to see you at the moment.”

Satan glanced at Solomon, then said. “Please convey to him that it is not optional. I am not going anywhere until I speak to him. His only choice is who he wants as an audience while I do so.”

“As you wish,” Barbatos acknowledged. A faint look of disapproval flitted across his features before he entered the office.

Solomon closed his book with an audible snap. “If Grace will not be present then I suspect will not be needed today.” He rose gracefully from the couch. “I will do you the courtesy of waiting in the hall so you may discuss matters with Lucifer. It seems that he unaware of the most current of events.” He inclined his head politely to both of the demons before he opened the door to exit. “I’m more than willing to offer my counsel and assistance in training her, should you need it.” Solomon stepped through the door and closed it behind him.

Train her? Lucifer looked at Satan and demanded. “Details. Now.”

“Last night’s spell casting is no longer an isolated incident. Grace managed to silence five demons with intent alone and is now in poor shape. She has no control over what she doing, as at this point Grace doesn’t even how she’s doing it, let alone how to not do it.” Satan shook his head. “It is fortunate that all Grace asked for was for them to be silent.”

Lucifer frowned and shook his head. That explained Solomon being even more smug than usual. “Is she safe?”

Satan hesitated before answering. “For now, yes. Sedated and under Levi’s care until I return.”

Levi? That was a bit of a surprise. “Where was Mammon?”

“Apparently he spent the lunch hour in detention. Since Levi shared her last class, he was with her in the cafeteria when this happened.”

Lucifer turned the information over in his mind. While this was indeed news, it could have been conveyed in text. The meeting could have been postponed. Why was Satan here and so adamant about meeting with Lord Diavolo?

The door to the inner office opened, preventing Lucifer from asking any further questions. “Lord Diavolo will see you both now,” Barabatos announced at the doorway. Both Satan and Lucifer filed in.

Lord Diavolo was seated behind his large desk. There was a pleasant smile on his face and a curious look in his eyes. Barbatos closed the door and stayed in the room with them.

“My Lord,” Lucifer greeted respectfully. Satan echoed him, but there was no respect to be found anywhere in his clipped tone.

“Will you be seated?” Lord Diavolo asked.

Lucifer moved to take the offered chair, but Satan did not. “I would prefer to stand,” Satan replied.

Diavolo cocked his head to one side and made a little frown. “Since whatever it is you wish to say to me seems to be taking precedence over even the most basic of civil courtesies, please get it off your chest.”

“Satan,” Lucifer said his brother’s name. It was only one word but it was layered with meaning. While it was primarily a warning for Satan to be cautious and to choose his words carefully, there were other emotions in the mix as well. There was concern, as Satan was acting impulsively but there was also acute curiosity. Lucifer wanted to know what could be so upsetting to Satan that he would behave in such a manner to their Prince.

“I will take that as permission to speak freely then,” Satan commented, stepping toward the desk.

Lord Diavolo smiled again. “I do not believe for one moment you were actually going to do anything less.”

Despite a feeling of foreboding, Lucifer was not going to interfere with what happened. It irked him to have no control over this situation, but Lord Diavolo was encouraging Satan to speak his mind. Though Lucifer hoped for Satan’s sake that he did not push things too far.

“When did you know that Grace was not entirely of human heritage?” Satan asked.

Lucifer blinked. She was not entirely human? That was news to Lucifer. There was certainly nothing in her file to indicate that. He looked at Diavolo, whose face remained calm.

“Are you so sure that I knew?” Diavolo asked.

“I have no doubt in my mind that you knew that she has some celestial heritage. The only question I really have is the when.”

Grace had celestial in her bloodline? Lucifer’s eyes widened. He looked to Lord Diavolo, a question in his eyes, but the demon prince had his attention fully on Satan.

“And why does when I knew, matter so much?”

“Because it defines your culpability in what has happened,” Satan stated.

Diavolo arched an eyebrow. “So continue. What exactly do you feel that I am culpable for?”

“If you knew before she came to Devildom, you have done a grave disservice to Grace, to all of us who live in the House of Lamentation, and to the students at the academy.”

“Before you go much further, Satan, I will remind you that everything I do, every choice I make, is for the good of the demons under my rule and to help maintain the balance between the three realms. It would be unwise to insult me by insinuating otherwise.” Lord Diavolo was still calm, but his eyes were cold when he looked at Satan.

“So putting a human/angel hybrid though the torments of demonic high school where she would be likely to experience trauma that might trigger an explosive release of mystical energy was for the good of the realm? We are very fortunate that all Grace wanted today was for the demons at that table was to be silent. What if she had instead wanted them to drop dead?” Satan’s voice was starting to grow impassioned, and Lucifer could feel that his control was slipping.

“I intended no harm to come from her time here in Devildom,” Lord Diavolo replied. “There are many humans with hints of celestial heritage. It doesn’t often impact their lives at all. Perhaps they may be a little luckier than most. Their friends probably make comments of ‘you must have a guardian angel’. My goal was for the girl to safely take part in a cultural exchange to further understanding between the three realms. If you are suggesting that I personally placed her in danger in order to trigger an extremely unlikely event where she became able to access celestial energy, you are mistaken. If that was my goal, I would not have put her in the charge of six demons who I believed to be capable. I would have let her fend for herself.”

Lord Diavolo paused and turned his golden eyes toward Lucifer. In them was the answer to the question, Lucifer could not ask aloud. Yes, it was as Lucifer suspected. Lucifer gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes. He was angry, far angrier than he had been in a long time. If Lucifer had known that bit of information, then everything would have been different. Lucifer bit back a growl. This was not something he could discuss in front of Satan, there were secrets he was not yet willing to share. He would wait until he could be alone with Diavolo, and then the harsh tone Satan was currently using would seem to be soft.

Diavolo resumed talking. The next words would have one meaning for Satan and added subtext for Lucifer. “And I was not the one to have made the final selection in regards to Grace. I chose Solomon, yes, but Lucifer was the one who chose Grace’s file from the twenty candidates I had narrowed it down to.”

Lucifer cleared his throat, “What is done cannot be undone. We should focus on what is best for Grace now.”

Satan nodded. “Unfortunately, we can’t send her back to the mortal plane until she has control of what she is unconsciously wielding.”

“Perhaps, we should open negotiations with the Celestials? As her power comes from their plane, perhaps she should go there to be trained?” Lucifer asked.

“No.” Diavolo’s disagreement was quite firm. “Perhaps if we had discovered this earlier that might have been an option, but she has entered into a pact with Satan. Her soul is fractured and sullied. They would not allow her into their realm. Luke and Simeon may offer to help as they are here, but expect no aid from above. She stays.”

The smile on Lord Diavolo’s lips when he said the last two words was a satisfied one. He wanted her to stay here, and now there was no chance she could leave, at least not until she could control the raw magic she now wielded. It also seemed to be important to his liege lord that the celestials could not have her. Lucifer could begin to see the bigger picture, but he did not have all the pieces to the puzzle. It was enough to make him feel like nothing more than a pawn, and Lucifer did not like that feeling in the slightest.

Lucifer needed time to cool his own temper and get his house in order before confronting Lord Diavolo on this topic. “My Lord, it seems that my brothers and I have much to discuss. Obviously, the other matter involving Grace will need to be tabled until a later date. Satan and I should take our leave and return to the House of Lamentation.”

“By all means,” Lord Diavolo agreed. “If there is anything I can do for Grace, do not hesitate to ask.”

Satan answered, “I think that Grace has suffered enough due to your attention. We will handle this matter.” He didn’t even say farewell to Lord Diavolo, he just left the room.

While Lucifer understood the feeling, he still had better manners than that. Lucifer bowed his head acknowledging his liege. “Will you make time for me tomorrow? We have matters that will need to be discussed.”

“But of course Lucifer,” Lord Diavolo said agreeably. “Message Barbatos with whatever time you desire it to be and he will free up my schedule.”

Lucifer left the room. He was surprised that Satan was actually still waiting for him. Lucifer had expected that he would have been on his way home by now. “Did you get want you wanted from that encounter?” Lucifer asked Satan.

“No. I wanted him to admit it, to accept some responsibility for what has happened. Instead, he danced around the issue and tried to make this out to be our fault.” Satan said grimly.

“Some of it is our fault,” Lucifer replied, opening the door. “We did fail her.”

“We were set up to fail!” Satan protested. “How could we succeed when we were given the wrong parameters?” Satan asked. “We were chastised for failing to protect as he put it ‘one human girl’, but she isn’t just human.”

Lucifer couldn’t argue the point, it wasn’t fair. He could sense Satan was not done venting yet, so he stayed silent and let his brother continue.

“If only we had known, Grace could have been taught how to access her ability in a far less traumatic way. Lucifer, she was literally blinded by the agony this caused her. If he weren’t our Lord, I would have inflicted the same amount of pain she suffered on him.”

“You mean if Barbatos and I weren’t in the room.”

Satan snorted. “I can take you. Barbatos is the one I might worry about.”

“You are still ranked fourth for a reason, Satan. Do not forget it.” Lucifer said. It would not sound like it to anyone listening, but this was as close as he could come to playful bantering with Satan.

“Don’t forget it has been centuries since those ranks were decided,” Satan said in return.

They walked in silence for a while. When the House of Lamentation was visible Lucifer sighed. “You go check on your mistress. I will message the others and will we need to discuss this thoroughly at the evening meal. Attendance will not be optional.”

Satan nodded, and they parted ways. Lucifer needed time to think, and someone to talk to about this. Someone who couldn’t break confidence. Once Lucifer was certain that Satan was in Levi’s room, he made his way to the attic.


	9. Burdens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer visits the attic

Belphegor opened his eyes when he heard Lucifer walk up the stairs. He wondered what the asshole could possibly want. It wasn’t the first the Lucifer had checked on Belphegor since locking him up in the attic. While for the most part, he hated these visits from Lucifer, but a small piece of him was glad for any contact with another person. All he had for company up here was his own reflection, and the dreams he spied upon.

“Belphie?” Lucifer asked, looking through the bars of the door. “Are you awake?”

While it was a fair question since Belphegor was the Avatar of Sloth, it still annoyed him, but then almost everything about Lucifer either annoyed or angered him. “What the fuck could you possibly want? Your early for your semi-regular ‘I’m doing this for your own good lectures’.”Lucifer didn’t say anything so Belphie, looked up at the door. His brother looked tired, worried and a little worn around the edges. “Out with it, what do you want?”

Lucifer looked to be choosing his words carefully. “I may have made a miscalculation,” he finally said.

That made Belphegor literally sit up and take notice. That combination of words was as close as he had ever heard Lucifer come to saying he might be wrong. “I’m listening.”

“I no longer think that the intent of Diavolo’s exchange program is what he claims it to be,” Lucifer said.

There were so many things Belphegor wanted to say to that. I told you so, was first among them though it wouldn’t be exactly accurate. Belphie had never questioned the intent of the program. He had just hated it on principle because it had involved humans. Instead of mocking Lucifer, he instead chose to ask a question out of curiosity. “Why? What happened to shake your faith in Diavolo?”

“Neither of the students chosen as representatives of the human race are exactly ordinary humans.”

“Grace seems pretty average to me,” Belphie countered. “Clever but not a genius. Pretty, in an unremarkable kind of way. Defenceless and crushable like a bug.”

Lucifer barked out a laugh. “The latter is most certainly incorrect.”

Belphie smiled evilly. “Please do let me put my theory to the test. I have no doubt I could end her life easily.”

“You would regret it,” Lucifer said. “For more reasons than you know. You would regret it.”

“Never would I regret killing a human,” Belphie argued. “While they did not kill her with their own hands, her love of humans caused her death and our fall. They can all burn. Every single last one of them.”

Lucifer frowned and his eyes looked a little sad. “Talking to you was a foolish idea.”

“It was,” Belphegor agreed. “But you would have known that, and yet you still climbed those stairs. What was it that you felt you could only say to me, of all people?” Lucifer said nothing. “Ah, so it is not my counsel you value, but my silence.” Belphegor snorted. “Then go. I am not your confessor and I have no desire to ease your burdens.”

“You know nothing of my burdens!” Lucifer snapped.

“Only because you are the eldest and have always chosen to carry them alone!” Belphegor shouted back. “There are times I think you forget that you are only our brother and not our father.”

“I am nothing like our father,” Lucifer growled.

“If you say so,” Belphegor replied. “But things do look a little different from this side of the bars.”

“It brings me no joy to see you behind them.” Lucifer’s voice was soft.

Belphegor rose and approached the bars. “Then release me!”

“If I thought your love for her would outweigh your hatred of both me and them I would.” Lucifer’s voice was sad, and he turned away. “However, I fear nothing will outweigh your hatred of me.”

Belphie wrapped his hand around the bars. He watched Lucifer go and tried to make sense of the pronouns in that sentence. They were as confusing as the reason for Lucifer’s visit today. Something had shaken Lucifer and it had been centuries since he had seen the eldest this shaken. All Belphegor knew was that it had something to do with the human. Perhaps it was time to take a closer look at her.


	10. An Unwelcome Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A drugged Grace needs to deal with an unpleasant encounter in her subconscious.

Although Grace was comfortable, she was trying to fight to wake up. It was a fight that she was losing. Sometimes she would feel things like the touch of someone smoothing her hair or hear voices, but those moments of clarity rarely lasted. She knew it was probably better to stay asleep. It hurt less that way, but she could hear her name and wanted to know what they were saying about her. 

The room eventually went dark and quiet. The temptation to try to stay awake passed and she just snuggled deeper into the pillows. The peace, however, did not stay undisturbed for long. There was something at the edge of her awareness that was disturbing her. It was hard to define. Like trying to spot something that was black on a black background. It was more a feeling of where the presence went, like how you could see a snake in the grass by the way the stalks moved in response to it.

Whatever it was, the presence was not friendly. Grace could feel that it did not like her. In her very core, she felt that her mere existence angered this being. She tried her best to ignore it for a while. Grace was tired, and it felt so much bigger than her. She just didn’t want to engage, but it was persistent and would not go away. Then it starting poking in place it really shouldn’t be.

Grace was frustrated. No. Just no. Her mind, body and soul had been through enough in the last forty-eight hours and she was going to put up with no more of it. While it had been nearly impossible for her to wake up, it was a lot easier to shift from sleep into a tranced state where she could try to deal with this intruder.

She opened her eyes in the room that Satan had helped her put to rights. There was a strange demon was standing near the bookshelves. He had curled horns and dark hair with white tips. His bovine-like tail moved idly as he ran his fingers along the spines of the books, reading their titles. Grace summoned her courage and spoke. “You are not welcome here. Leave now.”

He turned to look at her, his head tilted with curiosity. “Hello Grace, this is a surprise. I wouldn’t have thought you would have even noticed my presence.”

She did not like the familiar way that he said her name like they were friends meeting after a long time apart. “You may know my name, but you are not welcome in this place. Leave.”

He smiled and said, “But you haven’t said please.”

“I don’t need to say please. This is my place.” Grace said.

“Brave words, little human, but haven’t you heard the saying that an unlocked door is an invitation?” he asked.

“The door is locked.” Grace resisted the urge to look at it to reassure herself that it was.

“Then perhaps you need a better lock,” he commented with a sly grin. “Don’t feel too bad about it. Dreams and nightmares are my specialties, and you are in a rather compromised state. As drugged as you are it was only a hop, skip and a jump to move from your dreams into the deeper levels of your mind. If only Lucifer hadn’t lied to them all, maybe they wouldn’t have been foolish enough to leave you helpless and within my reach.”

“Why exactly would you want to reach me?” Grace asked, as she casually moved closer to the foot of the bed. She never took her eyes off this strange demon. Though his words were polite, and his tone was civil, Grace could feel the danger under them. He was toying with her.

“To kill you,” he said casually.

Grace’s heart started to hammer within her chest. Though she had been able to feel his malice, Grave hadn’t expected him to say it so boldly. “I’ve never laid eyes on you before, what could I have possibly done to you to deserve that?” With her toe, she started to slide open the drawer. The one she had put Satan’s things in.

“It’s not something you did. For a human, you seem nice enough.” He sat down in her desk chair. “But that’s the problem. You are human, and you don’t belong here. I don’t want there to better communication and understanding between the three realms. I want the human world to burn.”

“If you wanted me dead, you wouldn’t be wasting your time poking around in here.” Grace knew she needed to keep him talking. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was going to do, but if she wanted the time to figure it out then she needed to keep him talking.

“Wrong. If I only wanted you dead, I wouldn’t be poking around in here.” He rocked the chair back and forth a little bit playfully. “Lucifer seems to think there is something extraordinary about you, but I don’t see it. So I thought maybe I should look a little deeper before you breathe your last breath.” He rose from the chair and walked slowly toward her. “But, even after a closer look, I still don’t see it.” He gestured to the room around them. “Seriously, look at this place. This is how you symbolize who you are and how you connect with the mystical? It’s so boring. If you’d put a mirror in this place I’d tell you to look at yourself. You don’t even see yourself as something special.” He reached out to touch her, and she sat down on the bed to avoid his outstretched hand.

“Please, don’t touch me,” Grace lowered her head but kept her eyes on him.

“So you do have some manners after all,” he said. “Maybe I’ll make your death painless.” 

The demon turned his back on her and Grace used the opportunity to grab a book from the drawer. It was the one she had first asked Satan for help with. 

“I don’t think so,” Grace said, holding the book to her chest.

The demon looked back at her, confusion in eyes. “You want to die painfully? I can accommodate you, but I have to admit that surprises me.” 

“I’m not going to die at all, because I’m giving you one last chance to leave on your own before I make you.” Grace rose to her feet.

He laughed. How could it sound both so dark and so full of joy at the same time? “You? You think you can make me?” 

Grace took slow steps backward toward the window. “You might be surprised at what I can make demons do.”

The demon matched her steps, keeping the exact same amount of distance between them. His tail was no longer moving idly, but swishing back and forth with excitement. “Grace, you can’t poison me here, and turning yourself invisible would be pretty pointless. You have nowhere to run.”

“Those were the tricks I knew yesterday. I have some new ones up my sleeve today.” Her back was against the wall. Grace slid her free hand to the window.

“Think you’ve got an ace up your sleeve?”

Now he was closing the distance, and she had no further to go. That was okay, Grace had him where she wanted him. “Something even better. A wild card.” Grace threw the window open.

The air in the room changed. Grace felt it stir as though it had a life of its own. It now felt warm against her skin, and it smelled like sunshine. **“Leave Now!”** she tried to put all her being into those two words. She didn’t care what it would cost her, as long as this thing left her mind.

The demon reacted as though he had been slapped and then just stood there. Grace held her breath and watched him for any sign of a change. Please let this work. It had to work. He blinked, and then his eyes grew wide. The demon smiled at her. It was a totally different smile than she had seen on his face before. It was somehow happy, sad and confused all at the same time. “Oh, that would have worked,” he said. His voice held a tone of wonder. “If I had been a minor demon that would have worked.”

Now, Grace was the one confused. Why did he suddenly sound happy? Why did he almost look proud? Who was this creature? The demon started to move toward her again, though now he was approaching her more cautiously. He reached out to touch her face.

No, that wasn’t going to happen. Grace dropped to her knees ducking under his hand. This thing was not going to lay one finger on her. She played the last card in her hand. Grace squeezed the book held against her chest. Her fingers pressed hard enough to leave imprints on the leather cover. Grace called upon her pact, hoping that he would still be able to hear her. **“Satan, I need you.”**


	11. Two Too Many Demons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Satan hears the call and sees Belphie for the first time in months

Six demons sat across from each other in silence. Lucifer had just finished relaying the facts. Grace was not entirely human and was now subconsciously wielding celestial energy. The plates in front of them were for the most part untouched, with the exception of Beel’s. Eating for him was almost an automatic response. The room could be on fire and he would probably still clean his plate before fleeing for safety.

The facts seemed so simple. Her lineage, in theory, should make no difference, it was still their job to keep her safe. Whatever power she wielded her body still seemed mortal. The magic problem would be solvable with training. Satan already had the beginnings of a plan to deal with that.

It was the implications of these things that were troubling. The half-truths that were not quite lies, that they had been told. These things reframed the past in a different light. Of course, if Diavolo knew she was not entirely human, he would not have housed her with the other exchange students. The angels would have been more likely to detect it then the demons would have, and she coincidentally had no classes with Simeon or Luke.

Satan heard a faint buzzing in his head. At first, he thought it was fatigue. Today had certainly been a roller coaster and it was not yet over. He still needed to decide if it was safe to wake her yet this evening. Grace had only eaten breakfast and had only the potions to drink in hours. Then there was the matter of the fact she was still in her uniform. Despite having seen her mostly nude body, Satan knew she would be angry if he changed her clothes. His eyes swept the table, but it would need to be him because he would not offer the task to any other. He closed his eyes and rubbed them with one hand. This was not how he had envisioned this day going.

He heard Grace’s voice, it was almost a whisper, but he still heard it. Satan could feel a pull, but it wasn’t strong. Was she trying to summon him? As impossible as that seemed, it didn’t stop him from standing abruptly from the table and leaving the room. He ignored the voices calling out from behind him. As Satan took the stairs to the second floor two at a time, he tried to rationalize that she must be fine. Grace was safely sleeping in Levi’s room, what possible danger could she be in there?

Satan opened the door and went straight to her side. Grace was still tucked into the ridiculous bathtub that Levi chose to sleep in, buffered by an equally ridiculous number of pillows. However, her face was contorted, and there was sweat on her brow. Was she having a nightmare? He reached out to touch her, wondering if he could be summoned from within a dream. Before he could finish the thought, he felt the pull stronger than before.

He was dizzy for a moment, and when he opened his eyes he was back in her mind. Satan didn’t have time to really think about what he was seeing. He just reacted immediately to the threat, grabbing the demon before him without really processing who it was. All that mattered is that the intruder's body language was aggressive and threatening and that his very presence had scared Grace enough to summon him from her subconscious.

Satan threw the demon backwards with enough force that he hit the door. He turned and placed himself between the interloper and Grace. It was at that moment Satan realized who it was. “Belphie?” he called out his sibling's name. How was Belphie here of all places? He was supposed to be in the mortal realm!

“You know him?” Grace asked. Satan could hear her slam the window shut. “More importantly can you make him go away? There are two too many demons in my fucking head right now!” Satan was, unfortunately, getting very familiar with how Grace sounded when she was both angry and scared.

“He is Belphegor, the avatar of Sloth. He is my brother.” Satan answered, trying to wrap his head around the situation.“Belphie, what are you doing here?”

“Your brother is here to kill me,” Grace said from behind him. Satan could feel her draw nearer to him, but she didn’t reach out to make any contact.

Satan frowned. “So being on Earth has done nothing to change your feeling on humans?”

Belphie cracked his neck and straightened himself. “I can’t believe any of you actually bought that story. Would anyone in their right mind choose to set me loose among the fragile humans? They break so easily.”

“This one is mine,” Satan growled at his brother. “You will not hurt her.”

“That one isn’t really human, is she?” Belphie answered.

“This one has a name and is still here. It is my fucking head after all.” Grace retorted. “And yes, this one is human.”

“She doesn’t know?” Belphie asked. “But Lucifer does.” A slow smile spread across his lips. “Ah, and you did too.”

“Satan?” Grace asked him. “What is he talking about?”

This was not how he wanted to have this conversation with her. Satan didn’t feel she was in the right frame of mind to handle this information. A change of topic was in order. Quickly. “If you aren’t on Earth, where have you been for three months?”

“Locked in the attic,” Belphie answered. “Why don’t you come up and visit me? Once you get Lucifer to release the spell on it that is.”

“Why?” Satan questioned. The attic? Belphegor had been here the entire time, above their heads and none of them knew it. Not even Beel?

“Ask Lucifer and when you do tell him I know why she’s so special,” Belphie replied. He shifted his eyes and looked past Satan at Grace. “I’m sorry I scared you. If I had known-“ he shook his head and seemed to have a hard time finding the right words. “I will never, ever hurt you, Grace. I promise you.” There was a soft look to his face and in his eyes. It had been a very long time since Satan had seen Belphie look that gentle.

“Just go!” Grace shouted. “Do you think your words mean anything to me? You violated my mind! Threatened to fucking kill me! You think that words can make that better? Words spoken while you are still here against my wishes? Leave now, and hope I never see you again.”

“You are right,” Belphie hung his head. “This is not the right place to make my apology to you. I will go, and I will never touch your dreams again without your consent.” He opened the door behind him and left.

Grace sat down on the bed and Satan joined her. She still had on her brave face, and Satan was disappointed that she was keeping it in place for him. “You can go too,” she said softly. “Please go, and wake me up.”

“That might not be-“ Satan started to protest.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have used to the word, please. This isn’t really optional at this point.” Grace clarified. “A demon, not just any demon, your brother no less, just tried to murder me my sleep after poking around in my mind and I couldn’t stop him. In my own damn mind, I couldn’t stop him. I don't care about the pain. I don’t care if I’m blind, or deaf, just fucking wake me up.”

“Grace,” Satan said her name and reached for her.

“No. Just don’t.” Grace didn’t even look at him. She just was staring at the wall in front of her. “Thank you for coming when I called, but if you don’t go now, I will make you leave. I can do that at least.” Grace opened the book she had been clutching so tightly in her hands and blindly grabbed at a random page.

Satan wanted to tell her how amazing she was. That it was a miracle she held out as long as she did while being incapacitated against Belphegor. He wanted to praise her, make her understand how adaptable and brave she was. All those things he wanted to tell her, but Satan knew she didn’t want to hear it. Grace, wouldn’t believe him right now if he said it. Satan wanted to stay and offer her comfort, but he knew she would reject it. Instead, he rose to his feet. All he could do at this moment was to follow her wishes and not make her burden her resources any more than they already were by making her force him to go.

“As you wish,” Satan said softly. He walked to the door, paused and looked over his shoulder at her. She was still staring at that same space on the wall. He frowned and hesitated. “Grace?”

“I won’t forget to lock the door. Go.”

Though he wasn’t sure it was the right thing to do, Satan left, breaking the connection and returning to consciousness.


	12. Division of Labour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace wakes up in Levi's room and Satan has a favor to ask.

One thing Grace knew for sure, she wasn’t deaf. Her body still hurt and her head still felt like some aggressive toddlers were using it for a piñata, but at least she wasn’t deaf. While she gathered the courage to try to open her eyes, she could hear voices around them steadily getting louder.

“You left Grace in the bathtub?!” Asmo sighed dramatically. “Have you learned nothing from me in all these years about how to treat a lady? You could have at least put her in her bed, or if you actually wanted her to be comfortable, mine.”

At least three voices chorused in a weary, “Asmo.”

“Then she could have at least the room to spread out,” he huffed.

“It’s okay, Asmo.” Her voice sounded raw, and now that she was aware of it her mouth tasted gross. “I don’t sleep like a starfish. I’m more likely to make a burrito out of the blankets.”

Beel’s stomach growled. “Sorry. She said burrito.”

She slowly opened her eyes. She could make out the outlines of the demons in the room but the edges were fuzzy. “Is the room dark, or is that still my eyes?”

Levi answered her. “Lights are off. Do you want them on?”

Grace placed a hand over her eyes, closed them and nodded. After doing it she wished she had just used her words because her abused brain protested impacting in even the slightest against her skull. Leaving her hand in place, she slowly opened her eyes once more. She let her eyes adjust to the increased light then moved her hand out of the way.

It was definitely better than it was earlier. The world around her looked more like a pastel drawing than real life. Everything was blurry but compared to seeing nothing but a field of white this was much much preferable. As was her way, Grace had to try to make a joke about it. “I guess I don’t get a puppy after all.”

Satan laughed, being the only one to know what she was talking about.

Unfortunately, this kicked off another argument.

“If she wants a puppy, I don’t see why she can’t have a puppy!” Mammon said.

Levi snorted, “Are you gonna help her walk it?”

“More likely to than you, you no good lazy shut-in!”

While Levi and Mammon bickered, Asmo drew closer. “Darling, if you want a pet surely we can get you one that is less … destructive?” he asked. “I’m sure Levi could recommend a place to get a nice fish.”

Beel’s stomach growled again. “Yum…fish.”

“Henry!” Levi shouted to his pet goldfish, “Swim for your castle! Beel is still hungry!”

It almost sounded normal. Almost. Grace could hear the underlying tension in their voices. They were trying just a little too hard.

“I need the truth. How are you feeling?” Satan asked, sitting down on the edge of the tub.

“Honestly? I think I need to invent a whole new category of words for how I am feeling.” Grace said. She very slowly and carefully sat up. She was both stiff and her other wounds took this time to remind her that they were still there. “My body hurts. I can see, but it's very fuzzy. I probably couldn’t read if I tried. Head still hurts but I’m thinking that one isn’t gonna be a quick fix. As for the other stuff-“ By that, she meant the mystical aspects of the day. “I’m still trying to process that.” Grace bit her lip and lowered her voice. “He was real, wasn’t he? I didn’t make him up?”

“No. He is very real,” Satan kept his voice soft too. “And right now, only you, I and Lucifer know that.”

Grace shivered. There was really a murderous demon in the attic that wanted her dead and had been the entire time she had lived here. She glanced at the door, where Lucifer was holding himself apart from his siblings. Grace couldn't even see his face at this distance, let alone try to read his expression. Grace felt betrayed by Lucifer and felt that his promise of safety was nothing more than a lie.

Grace bit the inside of her lip and tried to keep exactly how exposed and powerless she felt. What little sense of security this house had given her was now gone, and she no longer even felt safe in her own mind. Grace had no idea how she was ever going to be able to sleep again after what just happened.

Satan startled her from her thoughts by stating, “I need you to do me a favour.”

“Is it something I’m actually capable of?” Grace asked. “I mean I’m not even sure if I can walk without falling over.”

“This you can do. I need you to distract Asmo, Levi and Mammon. You need to eat and get cleaned up. Let them help, while I take Beel and Lucifer upstairs to deal with…him.”

“No,” Grace protested, a little louder than she intended. Grace hated being vulnerable, even at the best of times, she had a hard time accepting help. Even from one of them, let alone three. More importantly, these were not the best of times. She just discovered that they had another sibling. A sibling that had wanted her dead. How could she trust them to side with her over someone that they known and cared about for centuries?

“No?” he asked, seeming to be surprised at her answer. “This is going to go so much worse if everyone is involved at the beginning. Please?”

“It will cost you,” Grace said.

Satan looked like he was about to agree, but centuries of being a demon made him careful of the bargains he made. “What is your price?”

“You will agree to cancel that date,” Grace said firmly. Even with their pact, she felt uneasy around Satan and she did not want that hanging over her head.

“That is a steep cost indeed.” Satan sounded displeased, but Grace didn’t retract the statement. “I sense that this is non-negotiable.”

“You would be correct.”

“I will accept your terms.” Why did he sound smug? Grace wished she could really see the look on his face. “I have no doubt at a later date you will regret that decision and change your mind.”

“Not gonna happen,” Grace said. She closed her eyes and prepared to put on her happy mask.

Satan reached down and touched her cheek. “To call today, just a bad day, would be an understatement of epic proportions, but try to remember that there have been good ones, too.”

Grace bit back her reply. She was pretty sure their definitions of what a good day was, were drastically different. There were far fewer good days than he thought and now those days were shadowed and tainted by knowing that Belphegor had been here the entire time, only waiting for an opportunity to strike. Instead, she reopened her eyes and smiled as though everything was going to be okay.

Satan opened his mouth and addressed the room. “I have matters that need to be discussed with Beel and Lucifer. Levi, Asmo and Mammon would you please help Grace out. She hasn’t had anything to eat since breakfast, and is still having trouble with her sight.”

“Why do I have to go with you and Lucifer?” Beel asked, sounding like he was going to be punished.

Grace lightly said, “Probably as a safety feature to ensure they don’t beat the crap out of each other. You know Mammon would just watch with glee, Levi would film it and Asmo would probably just try to avoid getting involved to prevent chipping his nails.”

“Well, that is true,” Beel agreed, though he still sounded pouty. “You three better do a good job.”

“I’m sure they will,” Satan reassured him. “Let’s go.”

“Yes, let’s,” Lucifer agreed from the doorway. “I, too, am curious what Satan has to say.”

Lucifer, Beel and Satan left, leaving Grace with the other three, who immediately began arguing about best to proceed. Each having their own preferred order to how she should best be cared for. Grace closed her eyes and decided to sink back into the nest of pillows for a few minutes. This was going to take awhile.


End file.
